Guide rails are used to guide the vertical movement of an elevator car or an elevator counterweight in an elevator shaft within a building or other such structure. In an elevator shaft for a single elevator car, there are typically two guide rails on opposite walls of the elevator shaft. In the case of multiple elevator cars arranged to run in a single shaft, one guide rail may be on the wall of the shaft, the other on the dividing beam between two elevator cars, or both guide rails may be arranged onto the dividing beams, depending on the configuration of the elevator shaft and the number of elevator cars and counterweight arranged to run in the shaft.
The elevator car or counterweight is linked to the guide rails through guide shoes, guide rollers or other guide elements facing the guide rails. Guide rails are constructed from multiple guide rail sections, connected to each other from their vertical ends to form a continuous guiding structure for the elevator car. The guide rail sections are secured to a base arranged into the walls of the elevator shaft, or to the dividing beams of the elevator shaft, though guide rail brackets.
The guide rail brackets are fixed to the base in the elevator shaft walls or dividing beams via different counterparts or directly via fastening parts arranged fixedly into the guide rail brackets. The fixing of the guide rail bracket to its counterpart can be done for example with bolts or screws, and the counterpart in turn is fastened or fixed to the base with different attaching elements.
Typically, the guide rail brackets are attached to guide rails sections by separate connecting elements or rail clips that are connected to the body of the guide rail bracket by a nut-and-bolt type fixing elements, pins, screws, clamps or other tighteners which are tightened to hold the guide rail section in place within the guide rail bracket. The connecting elements may include intermediate elements such as washers, seals or packings, as well.
In the installation process of securing guide rail sections to the elevator shaft wall or dividing beam to form the continuous guide rail, this kind of step for fitting a guide rail section into the guide rail bracket with separate or detachable clips is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The requirement for manual installation makes the process expensive. The manufacture of such complicatedly structured guide rail brackets can be costly.
In addition, with conventional guide rail brackets, controlling or counteracting the longitudinal movement of the guide rails in relation to the elevator shaft wall structures, caused by for example settling of buildings during the first months after the construction phase, may be complicated or require additional structures in the guide rail brackets. This may further compound to the manufacturing and installation drawbacks mentioned above.